Quick Start
ForgeCommerce is an EU-first e-commerce platform designed for small businesses and manufacturers. Here are the key areas you'll work with:
🏪 Store Setup
Configure VAT, shipping zones, and selling countries before adding products.
📦 Products & Catalog
Create products with attributes, variants, images, and Bills of Materials.
🛒 Orders & Fulfillment
Process orders through their lifecycle: confirm, pack, ship, and deliver.
💰 VAT Compliance
Automatic EU VAT calculation, B2B reverse charge, and tax-filing reports.
🏭 Manufacturing
Track raw materials, BOMs, and production batches for your workshop.
📊 Reports & Integrations
Sales analytics, VAT reports for tax filing, CSV import/export, and webhooks.
📑 Table of Contents
- 1. Logging In
- 2. Your Dashboard
- 3. Store Setup: VAT Configuration
- 4. Store Setup: Shipping
- 5. Managing Categories
- 6. Raw Materials & Inventory
- 7. Creating & Managing Products
- 8. Global Attribute Templates
- 9. Processing Orders
- 10. Discounts & Coupons
- 11. Production Batches
- 12. Reports & Tax Filing
- 13. Import & Export
- 14. Admin Users & Webhooks
1. Logging In
Access your store's admin panel by navigating to your admin URL. All administrative functions — from managing products to processing orders — start here.
Step 1: Admin Login Page
Navigate to your admin panel URL to see the login page. Enter the email and password for your administrator account.
- Bookmark your admin URL for quick access.
- Admin accounts are separate from customer accounts.
- Contact your system administrator if you've forgotten your credentials.
Step 2: Enter Your Credentials
Type your admin email address and password, then click "Sign In". If two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled, you'll be prompted for a verification code next.
Step 3: Welcome to Your Dashboard
After successful login, you land on the Dashboard — your command center. The sidebar on the left provides quick access to every section of your store administration.
- Your session lasts 8 hours. After that, you'll need to log in again.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security and is recommended for all admin users.
2. Your Dashboard
The Dashboard is your daily starting point. It provides a quick overview of your store's health: today's orders, monthly revenue, stock alerts, and pending work. Think of it as your store's heartbeat monitor.
Step 1: Dashboard Overview
The dashboard shows four key metrics at a glance: Orders Today, Revenue This Month, Low Stock Alerts, and Pending Orders. These stats load automatically and update in real-time.
- Stats update automatically via HTMX — no need to refresh the page.
- Click on any stat card to navigate to the relevant section.
- Low Stock alerts help you reorder raw materials before running out.
Step 2: Recent Orders & Quick Actions
Below the stats, you'll find your most recent orders with their status, customer email, and total. Click any order number to view its full details.
Step 3: Sidebar Navigation
The left sidebar is your main navigation. It's organized by workflow: Products & Categories for your catalog, Orders for fulfillment, Reports for analytics, and Settings for store configuration. The divider separates daily operations from setup tasks.
- The sidebar is always visible — you can jump to any section from anywhere.
- Settings sections (VAT, Shipping, Users) are below the divider for less frequent access.
3. Store Setup: VAT Configuration
ForgeCommerce is built EU-first with comprehensive VAT support. Configure your VAT registration, select which countries you sell to, and let the system automatically calculate the correct VAT rate for each order based on the destination country and product category.
Step 1: VAT Configuration
The VAT Settings page is where you configure your store's tax compliance. Enable VAT, enter your VAT registration number, select your home country, and choose whether your product prices include VAT or are displayed as net prices.
- If you're not VAT-registered, leave VAT disabled — all prices will be treated as net.
- The "Prices Include VAT" setting affects how prices are calculated at checkout.
- Enable "B2B Reverse Charge" to allow businesses in other EU countries to purchase without VAT.
Step 2: Selling Countries
Select which EU countries your store ships to. Only enabled countries appear in the customer checkout, and VAT is calculated based on the destination country. Use "Select All" / "Deselect All" for bulk changes.
- Your home country is always highlighted in the list.
- Only enable countries where you can legally fulfill orders.
- Shipping zones (configured separately) can group these countries for rate calculation.
Step 3: Current VAT Rates
This table shows the current VAT rates for each enabled country, organized by rate type. Rates are synced automatically from the European Commission TEDB service every midnight (UTC). You can also trigger a manual sync with the "Sync Now" button.
- Rates are sourced from the official EU TEDB service and updated daily.
- If TEDB is unavailable, rates fall back to the euvatrates.com community database.
- Manual edits are overwritten on the next sync unless the rate source is set to "manual".
Step 4: Complete VAT Settings Page
Here's the full VAT settings page showing all three sections: configuration, country selection, and rate management.
4. Store Setup: Shipping
Set up shipping rates that work for your business. ForgeCommerce supports flat-rate, weight-based, and size-based shipping with optional zones for per-country rate overrides. Combine with a free shipping threshold to boost your average order value.
Step 1: Shipping Configuration
Configure your global shipping settings: enable/disable shipping, choose a calculation method (fixed fee, weight-based, or size-based), and set a free shipping threshold. The default currency is used for all shipping calculations.
- Fixed: Every order pays the same shipping fee.
- Weight-based: Shipping cost varies by total order weight (configurable brackets).
- Free shipping threshold: Orders above this amount ship for free — a great incentive!
Step 2: Shipping Zones
Shipping zones let you group countries with similar shipping rates. For example, "Iberian Peninsula" (Spain + Portugal) might have lower rates than "Central Europe" (Germany, France, Belgium). Each zone overrides the global rate for its countries.
- Countries not in any zone use the global shipping rate.
- You can have as many zones as you need.
- Zone rates use the same calculation method options as the global config.
Step 3: Full Shipping Settings
The complete shipping settings page with global configuration at the top and zone management below.
5. Managing Categories
Categories organize your products into a logical hierarchy that customers can browse. A well-organized category tree makes it easy for shoppers to find what they're looking for.
Step 1: Category List
The Categories page shows your product category hierarchy. Categories help organize your catalog and improve navigation for customers. Each category has a name, slug (URL path), and optional parent.
- Categories can be nested — a "Leather" sub-category under "Bags", for example.
- The slug is used in storefront URLs: /products/bags/leather.
- Drag categories to reorder them (position determines display order).
Step 2: Creating a Category
To create a category, provide a name and optional description. Choose a parent category for nesting, and add SEO fields for search engine optimization.
Step 3: Editing a Category
Click any category name to edit it. You can change the name, description, parent category, and SEO settings. The slug updates automatically if you change the name.
6. Raw Materials & Inventory
ForgeCommerce is designed for manufacturers who track raw materials. Manage your inventory of leather, hardware, thread, and other components. These materials connect to products through the Bill of Materials (BOM) system.
Step 1: Raw Materials List
The Raw Materials page shows your inventory of components and supplies. Each material has a SKU, unit of measure, current stock level, and supplier info. Materials with stock below the low-stock threshold are highlighted.
- Low stock items are flagged so you can reorder before running out.
- Use categories to organize materials (Leather, Hardware, Thread, etc.).
- Lead time helps you plan reorders with enough buffer.
Step 2: Material Details
Each raw material has detailed information: cost per unit, stock quantity, supplier details, and lead time. This data feeds into the Bill of Materials (BOM) calculations for your products.
Step 3: Adding a New Material
When you source a new material, add it here with its SKU, cost, unit of measure, initial stock quantity, and supplier information. This material can then be used in product BOMs.
- Choose the correct Unit of Measure — it affects BOM calculations.
- Set a meaningful Low Stock Threshold based on your production rate.
- Supplier SKU helps with reordering from the same supplier.
Step 4: Inventory at a Glance
The list page gives you a complete overview of your inventory levels. Filter or search to find specific materials quickly.
7. Creating & Managing Products
Products are the heart of your store. ForgeCommerce gives you powerful tools for managing complex products with multiple attributes (Color, Size, Material), automatically generated variants, Bills of Materials for manufacturers, image galleries, and per-country VAT configuration. Each product has 7 tabs covering every aspect of its configuration.
Step 1: Product List
The Products page shows all your products with their status, SKU prefix, price, and stock. Use the status filter to view Active, Draft, or Archived products.
- Draft products are not visible in the storefront.
- Archive products you no longer sell instead of deleting them.
- Click a product name to open its full editor with all tabs.
Step 2: Product Details Tab
The Details tab is where you set the product's basic information: name, description, pricing, weight, and SEO fields. Notice the tab bar at the top — each tab manages a different aspect.
- Base Price is your starting price. Variant options can add/subtract from this.
- Compare-at Price shows a "was €X" crossed-out price in the storefront.
- SKU Prefix is used when auto-generating variant SKUs.
Step 3: Product Attributes Tab
Attributes define the axes of variation for your product — Color, Size, Material, etc. Each attribute has a type that controls how it's displayed in the storefront (dropdown, color swatch, buttons, or image swatch).
- Attributes create the variation grid — 3 colors × 2 sizes = 6 variants.
- Color Swatch type shows visual color circles on the product page.
- Button Group type shows horizontal button-style selectors (ideal for sizes).
- Price Modifier on an option adds to/subtracts from the base price.
Step 4: Product Variants Tab
Variants are the purchasable combinations of your attributes. A product with 3 colors and 2 sizes generates 6 variants, each with its own SKU, stock level, and optional price override. Click "Generate Variants" to create all combinations automatically.
- Auto-generated SKUs follow the pattern: {prefix}-{option1}-{option2}.
- Leave price empty to use the calculated price (base + option modifiers).
- Each variant tracks its own stock independently.
- Inactive variants are hidden from the storefront.
Step 5: Bill of Materials (BOM) Tab
The BOM defines which raw materials are needed to produce this product. Layer 1 shows base materials needed for ALL variants. Layer 3 allows per-variant overrides (e.g., Brown/Large needs more leather than Black/Standard).
- Layer 1: Base materials needed for every variant.
- Layer 3: Per-variant overrides (replace, add, remove, or set quantity).
- Producibility: How many units you can produce with current stock.
- BOM cost = sum of (material cost × quantity) — useful for pricing decisions.
Step 6: Product Images Tab
Upload product images here. Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF (max 10 MB each). Set a primary image for the catalog thumbnail, and optionally assign images to specific variants.
- The primary image is shown in product listings and search results.
- Assign images to variants so the right image shows when a customer selects a color.
- Alt text improves SEO and accessibility — describe what's in the image.
- Drag to reorder images. The order determines gallery display.
Step 7: Product VAT Tab
Override the default VAT category for this specific product, and add per-country overrides. For example, food products may qualify for a reduced rate in some countries but standard rate in others.
- Most products use the store default (Standard Rate). Only override when needed.
- Per-country overrides handle EU quirks — e.g., children's clothing is zero-rated in some countries.
- Notes field: document WHY an override exists for audit purposes.
Step 8: Global Attributes Tab
Link reusable global attribute templates to this product. Unlike product-specific attributes, global attributes are defined once and shared across products — change an option globally, and every linked product gets the update.
- Global attributes are ideal for standardized options like Color, Size, Material.
- Set the role: Variant Axis (generates variants), Filter Only, or Display Only.
- After linking, select which specific options this product offers.
- See Section 8 for creating and managing Global Attribute templates.
Step 9: Creating a New Product
Click "+ New Product" to start creating. Fill in the name, price, and description on the Details tab. Once saved, the other tabs (Attributes, Variants, BOM, Images, VAT) become available.
8. Global Attribute Templates
Global Attributes let you define reusable attribute templates — create "Color" once with 20 options, then link it to 50 products. Each product can select which subset of options it offers. Changes to the template automatically propagate to all linked products.
Step 1: Global Attributes List
Global Attributes are reusable attribute templates. Instead of defining "Color" separately on every product, create it once here with all options, then link it to any product that needs it.
- The "Used By" column shows how many products link this attribute.
- Types: Select, Color Swatch, Button Group, Image Swatch.
- Categories help organize attributes: Style, Physical, Material, etc.
Step 2: Creating a Global Attribute
Define the attribute name (internal, snake_case), display name, type, and category. After creation, you can add metadata fields and options.
- For detailed step-by-step guidance with screenshots of metadata fields and options, see the dedicated Global Attributes Guide (global-attributes-guide.html).
9. Processing Orders
Orders are the result of successful checkout. ForgeCommerce handles the full order lifecycle from pending through delivery, with built-in support for B2B reverse charge orders, VAT snapshots, and tracking number management.
Step 1: Orders List
The Orders page shows all orders with their number, status, customer email, total, and date. Orders flow through a lifecycle: Pending → Confirmed → Processing → Shipped → Delivered.
- New orders from Stripe checkout arrive as "Pending" with payment "Paid".
- Click any order number to view full details and take actions.
Step 2: Status Filters
Use the status filter buttons to quickly find orders in a specific state. This helps you focus on what needs attention — "Pending" orders need confirmation, "Processing" orders need to be packed and shipped.
Step 3: Order Detail — Items & Totals
The order detail shows the complete breakdown: ordered items with quantities and prices, shipping fees, VAT calculation, discount applied (if any), and the final total. All VAT information is snapshotted at the time of order — it won't change if rates update.
- VAT rates are locked at order time — even if rates change, existing orders keep their original VAT.
- The "VAT Breakdown" section shows exactly how much tax was charged and at which rate.
Step 4: Order Actions
On the right side, you'll find status transition buttons. Move the order through its lifecycle: Confirm → Process → Ship (add tracking number) → Mark Delivered. You can also cancel an order at most stages.
10. Discounts & Coupons
Run promotions with flexible discounts (percentage or fixed) and coupon codes. Discounts can target the subtotal, shipping, or total, with optional conditions like minimum purchase and date ranges.
Step 1: Discounts List
Discounts define promotional rules: percentage off, fixed amount, applied to subtotal or shipping. Each discount has date ranges, minimum purchase amounts, and priority for stacking rules.
- Active discounts with valid dates are automatically applied at checkout.
- Use priority to control which discount takes precedence when multiple apply.
- Non-stackable discounts stop evaluation after they're applied.
Step 2: Editing a Discount
Configure the discount type (percentage or fixed), value, scope (subtotal, shipping, or total), minimum order amount, maximum discount cap, date range, and whether it stacks with other discounts.
Step 3: Coupon Codes
Coupons are codes that customers enter at checkout to activate a discount. Each coupon is linked to a discount rule and can have usage limits (total and per-customer).
- Coupon codes are case-insensitive (SUMMER15 = summer15).
- Usage count tracks how many times the coupon has been used.
- Per-customer limits prevent one customer from using the same code multiple times.
11. Production Batches
For manufacturers, production batches bridge the gap between raw materials and finished products. Plan batches, track material consumption, and update finished goods inventory — all in one place.
Step 1: Production Batches List
Track your manufacturing with production batches. Each batch produces a quantity of a specific product variant, consuming raw materials according to the BOM. The lifecycle goes: Planned → In Progress → Completed.
- Starting a batch consumes raw materials from inventory.
- Completing a batch adds finished product to variant stock.
- Use batches to plan production runs based on order demand.
Step 2: Creating a Production Batch
Select the product and variant to produce, set the quantity, and add optional notes. The system will calculate required materials based on the BOM.
12. Reports & Tax Filing
Two essential reports for running your EU business: the Sales Report for tracking revenue, and the VAT Report for tax compliance. Both support date range selection and CSV export.
Step 1: Sales Report
The Sales Report shows your revenue over a selected period. View daily breakdowns, cumulative totals, order counts, and average order value. Use the date picker to change the period.
- The default view shows the current month.
- Export to CSV for use in spreadsheets or accounting software.
- Compare periods to spot trends — is this month better than last?
Step 2: VAT Report
The VAT Report breaks down tax collected by country and rate type — exactly what you need for EU tax filing. It shows total VAT collected per country, split by rate type (standard, reduced, etc.).
- Use quarterly periods for VAT return filing.
- The reverse charge section shows B2B transactions where no VAT was collected.
- Export to CSV for your accountant or tax software.
Step 3: Exporting Reports
Both reports offer CSV export for integration with your accounting tools. The CSV includes all the detail shown on screen plus additional fields for programmatic processing.
13. Import & Export
Bulk manage your data with CSV import and export. Export products, materials, and orders for reporting or backup. Import products and materials from CSV for bulk catalog updates.
Step 1: Import / Export Hub
The Import/Export page is your data management center. Export your products, raw materials, or orders as CSV files, or import product and material data from CSV.
- Export first to see the expected CSV column format before importing.
- Product CSV includes all fields: name, SKU, price, description, status, etc.
- Imports are validated — invalid rows are skipped with error messages.
- Use exports for backups or for migrating to/from other systems.
Step 2: Full Import/Export Page
The page shows all available export types at the top and import forms below. Each export type downloads a CSV immediately.
14. Admin Users & Webhooks
Manage your team's access to the admin panel and set up integrations with external systems. Admin users control who can manage your store, while webhooks enable real-time integrations.
Step 1: Admin Users
Manage who has access to your admin panel. Each admin user has a role, 2FA status, and can be activated or deactivated. Add team members, warehouse staff, or your accountant.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) is strongly recommended for all admin users.
- Deactivate users instead of deleting them to preserve the audit trail.
- Roles control what each user can see and do.
Step 2: Adding an Admin User
Create a new admin account with email, name, password, and role. The user will be prompted to set up 2FA on their first login.
Step 3: Webhooks
Webhooks send real-time notifications to external systems when events happen in your store (new order, payment received, stock change). This is how you integrate with shipping providers, accounting tools, or custom workflows.
- Each endpoint URL receives POST requests with a JSON payload.
- Use the signing secret to verify webhook authenticity (HMAC-SHA256).
- Failed deliveries are retried automatically with exponential backoff.
Step 4: Creating a Webhook Endpoint
Configure the endpoint URL, select which events to subscribe to, and optionally set a signing secret. The webhook will fire for every selected event type.
